Case Study: sri lankas community based decentralized solid waste management

Low Carbon Green Growth Roadmap for Asia and the Pacific CASE STUDY Picking up neighbourhood garbage solutions Sri Lanka’s community-based decentralized solid waste management Key point • A neighbourhood integrated resource recovery centre reduces greenhouse gas emissions using an approved methodology and thus qualifies as a Clean Development Mechanism project, which allows facilities to sell their carbon credits There was a problem… Matale is a medium-sized urban centre in central Sri Lanka, surrounded by large plantations and famous for its spice gardens In addition to agriculture, the city’s economic activities include tourism and trade The city generates 21 tonnes (21,000 kilograms) of municipal waste per day Even though 80 per cent of waste generated in Matale has potential to be used for composting and biogas generation or to be recycled, 17 tons are disposed at an open dumpsite The Municipal Council spends 20 per cent of its budget on solid waste management, but there is no city-wide collection Households describe the service provided by the municipality as poor What was done? In 2006, ESCAP, Sevanatha and the Matale Municipal Council jointly piloted a Community-Based Decentralized Solid Waste Management Project to improve services in one ward while reducing costs, producing economic outputs and minimizing the amount of waste that was sent to the landfill.1 The partners established an integrated resource recovery centre (IRRC) in Gongawela ward to collect waste from households and businesses through the employment of a staff of six waste pickers then sort and treat the waste for various uses, including turning it into compost that they sell To improve waste separation, the community was involved; households were trained to separate waste into two bins, organic and inorganic In addition, as the workers collect the waste from the households they notice whether the waste is separated properly or not and discuss the situation with the residents Because it is not possible to reach 100 per cent waste separation from households, waste is sorted one more time by the workers at the plant into organic waste, recyclables and rejects Since 2007, it has collected and composted segregated waste from about 600 households and small businesses After the success of the pilot project, the Matale Municipal Council decided in 2010 it was a suitable option for treating all waste With assistance from ESCAP and Waste Concern, the approach is being scaled up to treat 20 tonnes of waste per day Recycling into compost The IRRC produces high-quality compost using the aerated box method It is comparatively cost- effective, using less land than other methods for composting, such as wind row, and with low construction costs The technology is simple and non-mechanical, which makes it easy for staff to operate and maintain while keeping operating costs low In comparison with more advanced technological compost technologies, there are minimal breakdowns and need for repairs The production period for compost is on average 90 days Strict quality control is maintained, and the compost complies with numerous standards for certified organic compost To further reduce costs for the municipality by minimizing the rejects that need to be sent to the landfill, the IRRC also stores, processes and sells recyclable material Because the waste is sorted at households, the recyclable The pilot project was based on an approach developed by Waste Concern, an NGO from Bangladesh, to reduce government costs while providing a business opportunity for a local entrepreneur, improving services to households and managing waste in a more eco-efficient manner Low Carbon Green Growth Roadmap for Asia and the Pacific : Case Study - Sri Lanka’s community-based decentralized solid waste management material is clean (hasn’t been spoiled by other waste), which increases its value Additionally, by storing the recyclable material and selling it in bulk at an appropriate time, the IRRC draws a higher price than if sold daily Results The IRRC combines environmental and social benefits with a strong business approach that makes it sustainably ideal The environmental and health benefits from ensuring that waste is collected and treated appropriately are the most obvious advantage, but there are others: • • • Reduced waste and greenhouse gas emissions Turned a profit: The Matale IRRC struggled to make a profit in the first years but has since improved its management and is now turning a profit The current collection of fees from households and the sales of compost almost cover its operating costs The IRRC has operated for three years without any support from ESCAP In 2009, the local government built a second plant with funds from the central Government and which was recently handed over to the Sevantha NGO to manage Because the construction costs were low, it was possible for the municipality to raise funds for a second plant locally Created jobs and increased quality of life: The IRRC employs six workers from the waste-picker community and provides a clean working environment Other waste pickers in the city have also benefitted The IRRC buys recyclable material from them at a price that is transparent and often better than what junk shops pay Lesson learned To be profitable, access to a bulk market for compost is necessary: To maximize profits, a facility needs to sell its compost in bulk to large buyers Long before a facility ignites its operations, a market for the compost and possible distribution channels should be established Success factors Site selection: The plant is located within the neighbourhood it services and opposite the mayor’s house Due to its central location, transportation costs are kept low, and fruit and vegetable vendors operating in the area even bring their waste directly to the plant The fact that the facility is located in the neighbourhood it services also reduces the risk of contamination because transport distances are short The central location gives both the project and the facility a “centre of importance” image, an important factor in motivating households to separate their waste Involvement of the community for waste segregation at the source: Asking households to sort their waste helps relieve excess labour in the centre and, most critically, involves the households in the recycling process and thus helps sensitize the community more deeply about individual consumption and waste levels Ideally, it leads to changes in behaviour The support and leadership of the local authority: The Municipal Council of Matale was willing to engage in a public-private partnership with an NGO, a partnership model that was uncommon in Sri Lanka Further, the municipality supported the IRRC by providing workers, giving it a land concession and by collecting rejects from the plant Their strong support for the approach also led to the construction of a second plant, although with funds from a national solid waste management project Low Carbon Green Growth Roadmap for Asia and the Pacific : Case Study - Sri Lanka’s community-based decentralized solid waste management Consideration for replicating Under a regional ESCAP project, the IRRC approach is being replicated and further improved in ten cities in Asia; some facilities will include a biogas digester to treat meat and fish waste and produce biogas and convert used cooking oil into biodiesel Depending on the local context, a single facility can process between and 20 tons of waste a day, serving a population of 1,000–50,000 people The partnership model will look different in the various cities In some cities, the model will be similar to the one in Matale, with a public-private partnership between the local government and an NGO In other cities, the management may be with local government but the workers may operate the plant as a cooperative and receive the financial and social benefits Because the IRRC reduces greenhouse gas emissions using an approved methodology, it qualifies as a Clean Development Mechanism project under the Kyoto Protocol, which also allows facilities to sell their carbon credits to industrialized countries for a profit Countries can have an access to additional funding through the Clean Development Mechanism